


The Grey

by pommedeplume



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Ambiguous/Open Ending, M/M, Psychological Horror, RS Fireside Tales
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-04
Updated: 2019-03-04
Packaged: 2019-10-14 14:32:24
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,663
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17510402
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pommedeplume/pseuds/pommedeplume
Summary: Remus Lupin wakes up in a mysterious hotel room, his only outside contact a man named Sirius Black. But something dangerous is roaming the halls of the hotel...Written forRS Fireside Tales 2019.





	The Grey

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks to my beta, H.

A distant scream awakes Remus Lupin from his slumber. He opens his eyes and tries to assess his current location but the room is too dark, aside from the television at the front of the room, only showing static. It’s loud and uncomfortable. He stands up, feeling tired and sore. He has cuts he doesn’t remember receiving.

Elsewhere he can hear slamming doors and shouting. Something that sounds like a cackle echoes through the building like a cool winter breeze, giving him chills. He gets on his knees, falling before the television. He tries to turn the knob for the sound down but it’s broken. He crawls behind it and sees that the plug has been permanently adjoined to the wall. If he tries to pull it out he will never get it back in.

His eyes have adjusted to the darkness and he can see that he’s in what appears to be a very old but empty hotel room. There is a tall dresser that may be made of solid oak next to the door. Remus tries to remember how he got here. He was out for a walk. He always took a walk before bed. He liked being in the park after dark. It was peaceful and the moon shimmered on the duck pond in a way that spoke to his soul.

Someone had been following him. Yes, he remembers it now. At first, he dismissed it as nothing but the footsteps had grown faster and faster and the more he increased his walking speed the more the footsteps had quickened as well. He had glanced behind him but had been able to see nothing about the figure.

Remus feels the back of his head and winces. He can remember. Something had hit him. Then there had been darkness. What had happened after that was a mystery.

He goes over to the door and tries to turn the knob. It’s locked, of course. There are two windows on the back wall but they are both covered in bars. He goes to look out. He can’t see how high up he is but it seems rather high. The building across from them has no windows. He can’t even see any streets if he tries to peer right and left. There is only a dark alley far below. He thinks they are probably in the old part of town. Many of these buildings have been condemned or are just serving as warehouses.

Another door slams somewhere in the building and Remus gets an impulse. He runs to the side of the dresser and begins to push it in front of the door. It’s very hard and he can hear echoing footsteps coming down a long hall as he desperately pushes it into place. Just as the task is complete, he hears the door unlocking and someone tries to push it open. He leans his back into the dresser. He knows how hard it was to push into place. It would take real strength to push it away from the door. He can feel the door trying to open, pushing and pushing but getting no relief.

Finally, it stops and Remus sighs. Footsteps echo away from his door for a time and then he hears a door slam somewhere far away. He stands for a while with his back against the dresser but eventually grows weak and slips the floor, still against the dresser.

He realizes that he has forgotten the sound of the static on the TV. The moment he realizes this it is suddenly all he can hear. It’s grating and he covers his ears. He considers removing his shirt just so he can cover the TV up.

Suddenly, the static stops. The room goes dark and the image changes.

“Hey. Is there anyone there?” a voice asks.

Remus hops up, scrambling to get to the TV. He sees a man standing in front of a camera. He has long, dark hair and grey eyes. He has splotches of what Remus hopes is dirt but fears might be blood on his face, clothes and hair.

“Yes, I’m here,” Remus says.

“Hi. Hi. Thank God, someone is alive,” the man says, grinning and looking sort of mad.

The man appears to be in one of the hotel rooms. Remus recognizes the green patterns of the walls and floors instantly. Someone appears to be laying on the floor somewhere behind the man but Remus can only see shoes.

“I’m alive. For now. What the hell is going on here?” Remus says.

“I don’t know. It’s fucked up. It’s all fucked up. It’s going from room to room and… God… it’s horrifying,” the man says, his face looking haunted and sorrowful.

“Where are you? Who is that behind you?” Remus asks.

“I’m here in the hotel just like you. Never mind who that is. It’s no one… no one anymore. Dead now,” the man laughs.

“How come you aren’t dead then?” Remus asks.

The man seems confused by this question and shakes his head.

“I don’t know. I got lucky. I locked myself in this room. There are monitors. Cameras in every room. So it can watch us,” the man says.

Remus realizes this man is familiar. He can’t recall where he has seen him before. He knows the face but not the voice. He’s good looking, tall and mysterious. Remus has never had the best taste in men and he knows this.

“What is your name?” Remus asks.

“Sirius. Sirius Black,” he answers.

“I’m Remus Lupin,” Remus says.

Sirius smiles.

“That’s a good name,” Sirius says.

“Sirius, I need you to tell me everything you know about what is going on. How did you get here?” Remus says.

“I don’t remember. I’m a lawyer. Bankruptcy lawyer. I fell asleep at the office. I don’t sleep well. I never sleep. I take it when I can get it. You know how you get when you can’t sleep and coffee is the only thing keeping you alive,” Sirius laughs.

Remus only nods. He doesn’t have that problem.

“You fell asleep at the office and then what?” Remus asks.

Sirius stares at the screen, looking lost.

“I… I don’t know. It’s all a blur,” Sirius says, brushing a hand through his hair and Remus is certain it’s stained with blood.

“What is killing everyone?” Remus asks.

“It is. That thing. I saw it. I _saw_ it!” Sirius screeches.

“And it didn’t hurt you?” Remus asks.

“It didn’t see me. It came into my room and I ran out. I ran down the hall. I only saw its reflection in the window. I thought about leaping from that window but all the windows are barred. I’m sure you’ve noticed,” Sirius says.

“What did it look like?” Remus asks.

“Imagine your worst nightmare and it’s worse than that,” Sirius says, looking tired.

“Sirius… do you recognize me? You seem familiar to me but I can’t place it,” Remus says.

“Hmm? No. I don’t know you,” Sirius says then smiles.

He really is handsome. Remus thinks if they can escape this maybe he would need to get to know him.

“How do we get out?” Remus asks.

“I don’t know. We’ll have to run. I can come get you… if you let me in,” Sirius says.

Remus flinches and asks, “How do you know I have the door blocked?”

“Because if you didn’t… you’d be dead. They are all dead. All of them. Not us. We’re alive. We can… escape. Together,” Sirius smiles.

Remus sighs, looking down at the floor. Why can’t he remember where he has seen him before?

“I don’t see that I have much choice,” Remus says.

“Great. Great. That’s good. I’ll come to your room and knock three times so you’ll know it’s me,” Sirius says.

“Aren’t you afraid it’ll kill you?” Remus asks.

Sirius looks thoughtful but shakes his head.

“No. No, no point in being afraid of the inevitable,” Sirius chuckles.

“Inevitable? Christ,” Remus says.

“Sorry. My sense of humor is dark,” Sirius smirks.

“We all have a dark side, I suppose,” Remus says with sadness, feeling sick in the pit of his stomach.

“OK. I’ll go wait at the door for your knock. How do you know what room I’m in?” Remus asks.

“It says on the monitor,” Sirius says, pointing at something above the screen.

“OK. See you soon, then,” Remus replies and the screen turns to static again.

Remus goes over to the door, wedging himself between the side of the dresser and the wall. The wait goes on far longer than Remus expects, with the static his only company. The knocks seem to come out of nowhere, hard, echoing and perfectly in rhythm.

“Jesus. Did you have to hit so hard?” Remus asks then starts to push the dresser, his heart slamming in his chest.

Sirius doesn’t reply. Remus dismisses any thoughts that it wasn’t him. He is too desperate. And something about Sirius makes him feel like he should trust him. Another part of him knows he shouldn’t but he can’t help it. 

“I’m glad you’re being patient. This is really hard,” Remus says through heavy breaths, the dresser nearly out of the way.

He gives a final push then stands next to the door. The knob slowly turns and the door creaks open. Remus finally remembers where he has seen Sirius before. Yes. It was only a week before. He was at the bar. He kept checking Remus out. A little playful flirting, he had thought. Remus thought the man would get up to speak with him but instead the next time he had looked he was gone.

Remus chuckles to himself, the mystery satisfied as he gazes upon the figure before him, light behind him in the hallway and the darkness of the room painting a shadow on his face. Sirius smiles but Remus can’t stop looking into the grey of his eyes.

They are really beautiful.

 


End file.
